What God Requies of Us

"He has shown you, o man, what is good,
          And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
          and to walk humbly with your God."
                                     Micah 6:8

This verse gave us the words for a song we often sang at summer camp when I was a kid. It was always one of my favourite songs. And it still is.

In one verse, the prophet Micah gives a pretty good summary of how God wants us to live. The principles of what God requires in this verse are repeated in various forms though-out Jesus' teaching and that of other writer's of the New Testament.


"To act justly . . ."

Acting justly is about treating people fairly and honestly. Not seeking for someone to get what they deserve for their actions. It's about treating people the same no matter their social status or how you feel about them personally.


". . . to love mercy . . ."

Mercy is about not getting what is deserved. We're told to love mercy in this verse. To love people getting another chance. To love allowing people to try again.


". . . to walk humbly . . ."

Scripture makes it pretty clear that pride is often someone's downfall. Humility is what God desires from us. Those in Scripture who walked in humility are the ones who God has given us as examples of how we should live.


". . . with your God."

These final three words are the most important of all. Acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly are useless if they don't happen with God. We need Him as we walk this life and live how Scripture tells us to.

Doing it with God is the key to anything in our lives. With God it's possible. Without Him it's not possible.